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Soft unseen - Strategies of Being

2/14/2014

4 Comments

 
Picture
Soft Unseen 

Strategies Of Being
self-released; 2013

3.5 out of 5

By Sean Dennison


I've gotten better at not throwing out whomever another artist's music reminds me of, but damn if I didn't have to keep from shouting "BORIS!" during Strategies of Being. Pounding drumming, guitar riffs ascending toward rainy skies and deep bass lines swathed in noisy beauty. I did feel a bit silly as the track continued, and I realized the music changed too quickly to be considered stoner rock.

To start with, Soft Unseen is an Endicott, New York group that channel their love of post-rock guitar quakes in less than 20 minutes of heavy music. They remain faithful to their influences, which they list as Explosions in the Sky and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. The first two tracks, out of a total three, use the watermark guitar-led drama while drums and bass cover the rear with heavy harmonies.

"Cut in Half by Your Garage Door" quickly goes from serene to loud as the guitars become distorted and drums are hit harder. The song sticks to the soft to loud formula and chooses not to deviate too far from this formula. "Scattered Origins" has some wicked guitar parts that ascend, descend and then cascade across the musical surface. At the two minute mark the song has a breakdown to simply guitar before building back up into a distorted veil of white noise.

The third track, "Spoonfuls of Champagne," is a pleasant surprise, using much more funk-inspired bass and guitar lines before the drummer jumps in to create a toe-tapping melody that contradicts the more dramatic sound of the previous two tracks.

Frankly, Strategies of Being is too short to deeply review. We have three solid examples of good post-rock, with a bit of genre mutation at the EP's end; nothing complicated, just gorgeous sheets of sound hailing your eardrums.
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4 Comments
Beorn link
2/14/2014 01:17:17 am

"Your comment will be posted after it is approved."

I was actually hoping this comment -wouldn't- be posted, I just wanted to help amend a few things.

Honestly, I'm a bit of a stickler when it comes to these things. First, let me say that I know my friends will be thrilled to see this review, as it's overwhelmingly positive, and even constructive (given their EP's tiny duration). Secondly, I know you're all very busy, and so I merely hope to mitigate some grammar foibles on an otherwise sterling website and critical/review enterprise. To wit:

3rd paragraph, third sentence . . . should read more like :
<"Scattered Origins" has some wicked guitar parts that ascend, descend, and then cascade across...> The word 'that' was doubled, 'than' was used where it should be 'then' and there is no space between this sentence and the one preceding it.

3rd paragraph, last sentence . . . should read more like : <At the two minute mark, the song breaks down to simply guitar...>

So there's that. Again, the last thing I intend is to be condescending; consider it a free proofread. I know you're busy, but I hope you find time to edit your review if possible!

Cheers,
-B

Reply
planex
4/3/2014 04:29:48 am

Not bad at all! The first track is very EitS-y. Good EP overall, the production really shines.

Reply
Bob Jurrn
7/16/2014 09:32:26 am

this EP really is too short... but that's a good sign, because I really wanted to hear more! Such eclecticism... definitely a worthy and worthwhile listen. Got lost in it, even.

Chëërs!

Reply
tensile strength
1/29/2015 12:04:02 pm

Stellar EP... if i had to criticize anything, it would be that the tracks don't really feel connected at all, as if they'd make more sense in context with more songs between them, fleshing out what might be a greater narrative as an LP or a longer ep.

But anyway, what a trip! Great listen, great production, clever composition.

Afterthought: the first comment is pretty weird, but after really looking at it, the third paragraph in the review is really oddly written. Alas.

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